By Samarth Jani and Evelyn Joseph
New Hyde Park brought back Pink October after a year of uncertainty. Ms. Kaspar, an English teacher, organizes the event each year.
“Pink October is used as a way to raise awareness regarding breast cancer and the continuous fight to find a cure,” said Ms. Kaspar.
Last year, the NHP family was not able to celebrate Pink October to the fullest due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this year's event began with immense support from students showing up in their best pink attire to the girls varsity soccer Pink Out game on October 8. The players wore pink face paint and hair ribbons while goalie, Lauren LoCascio, wore a full pink ensemble while bringing home a victory.
The New Hyde Park community has also been doing their part to help the cause. The varsity cheer team has raised $1,076 for the American Cancer Society with an online fundraiser, passing their goal of $500. The faculty and staff were also able to raise $1,300 through selling shirts and by sponsoring a denim day. The Romanettes showed support for the charity Liz’s Day by attending its annual event at the Floral Park Recreation Center and wore pink pom-poms and bows for their halftime performance at the varsity football game on October 9. The twirlers also wore pink bows and pink face paint for their performance.
“They say you never know how strong you are until you have to be strong, and it sounds really cliché...”
October 15 was the school’s annual Pink It Up day where the whole school wore pink clothes or pink ribbons to show support for breast cancer awareness. Students, faculty and staff filled the giant ribbon in the center courtyard, and the annual photo was taken.
Source by Anna Detke
Students and faculty raise their hands to raise awareness for breast cancer.
Additionally, girls varsity volleyball hosted their own Pink Out game on October 22. The art department is also creating artwork and photography for the Adelphi University Breast Cancer Program to display.
Some students and faculty members provided their insight when asked about the month.
“Pink October at our school is something that I feel builds a sense of camaraderie between students and teachers alike because the entire school comes together for breast cancer awareness,” said junior Paul Wang.
“Pink October, to me, promotes the awareness of breast cancer, it not only means that we support
the cause by wearing pink, but we are spreading awareness for thousands of people who go through it. It makes me so happy to see the amount of support and strength NHP has shown to support breast cancer,” said junior Abigail Varghese.
“It means supporting those who are currently dealing with breast cancer or gone through breast cancer and supporting research for it,” said math teacher Ms. Pazik.
“I would love to hear more survivors’ stories and maybe even go into the health classes and teach kids about breast cancer. I would love to bring awareness about male breast cancer because this doesn’t just affect women, but also males,” said Ms. Kaspar.
Ms. Kaspar shared a lesson that she learned throughout her journey as a breast cancer survivor.
“They say you never know how strong you are until you have to be strong, and it sounds really cliché, but it is really true. You discover that the things that you spent a lot of your time on are not big deals. I discovered how to prioritize where things kinda fall,” said Ms. Kaspar.